A Different Atmosphere

Being someone who has lived in Texas their whole life unfortunately the night sky was a constant picture. Here we experience very foggy, cloudy nights and it sometimes looks like there are only 9 stars in the sky. Unless someone from this area has traveled to more rural areas where there isn't as much light pollution or people, then they wouldn't be able to experience what the night sky really looks like.

The quote I chose for my response was Ian Cheney stating that he felt like he “was at the center of the world” but that he had “left something important behind, something [he] couldn't name.” (City Dark). I can’t imagine living in Maine for the first quarter of my life and experiencing breath-taking views every night. Why would anyone want to move to a big city after living in the most beautiful place? Cheney explains in the film that seeing a night sky in Maine was like seeing thousands of stars in one picture. The stars were uncountable. It’s hard to imagine a sky that big, bright, and full of beautiful stars when every night we see only a percentage of what Maine residents see.

Tonight I counted 43 stars in our Texas sky which is much smaller of a number compared to the thousands of stars that are in our universe. Cheney also wonders, “What do we lose when we lose the night?” (City Dark). I believe many people go through life and never sit down at night to look at the night sky. I myself rarely appreciate the night sky because I’m too caught up in other things going on. But tonight I’m glad I took the time to enjoy the beautiful sky. Asking the question of what do we lose when we lose the night sky is a serious question to think about. Not only would it affect humans but what would it do to the animals who travel being guided by the night sky? I think a lot of humans take advantage of our beautiful planet and don’t take in all the beauty it provides for us.

These two quotes were important to me because they catch you off guard. What could Cheney really lose when he moved to New York? The night sky isn't something like a companion but when you get so accustomed to seeing something every night then it becomes a part of you and your life. The night sky in Maine became a part of Cheney's life and when he left then he could see how a part of him was gone. I don't think he realized how such a small, innate aspect of life was such a large part of him until he left. Another situation people living in Texas could relate to is the distance from the ocean. Even though I don’t live five minutes away from the beach, having somewhat easy access to the ocean is a great amenity. Water is so relaxing and calming to me. Anytime the world is taking at me too much, just going by water and enjoying listening to the waves relaxes me completely. Everyone has their own method that works for them and Ian Cheney could’ve looked at the night sky the way I look at the ocean. One question many of us need to ask ourselves is, when was the last time you enjoyed the beauty of our planet? Obviously Ian Cheney is trying to get his message out that our night sky is diminishing literally and diminishing as a figure to the people who live on Earth.